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Overview

Shallow Hal

Comedy is measured in laughs, not weight, in the Jack Black comedy Shallow Hal. Fox has done a passable job on this 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer, though overall this is an only mediocre effort. While the colors and black levels are all mostly solid and detailed, a fair amount of edge enhancement and haloing show up in multiple spots. The soundtrack is presented in Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround in English. This is an adequate sound mix that aptly supports the film. There are a few directional effects to be found here, though nothing that would constitute a thoroughly exciting track. All aspects of the mix are free and clear of any hiss or distortion. Also included on this disc are Dolby 2.0 Surround tracks in Spanish and French, plus English subtitles. Fox has made sure this DVD is worth its weight in extras, starting with a commentary track by Peter and Bobby Farrelly. While this commentary is full of funny and amusing anecdotes about the production, overall there isn't a lot of technical information to be found here. An HBO special titled "Being Shallow Hal" features actress Brooke Burns interviewing people on the street about being shallow, as well as some clips from the film. This is a fluffy yet entertaining piece that should please fans looking for a few more chuckles. "Reel Comedy: Shallow Hal" is a 22-minute piece that doesn't give one much insight on the making of the film -- it's basically an extended trailer. Next up are some deleted scenes with optional director's commentary. Some of these cut sequences are fun, though most were rightly left on the cutting-room floor. Two featurettes give the viewer a rather neat look at the special effects and body suits used in the movie ("Seeing Through the Layers" and "In the Deep End"), allowing a rare peek into the effects department. Finally there is a music video by Shelby Lynne for the song "Wall in Your Heart," a 30-second promo for the film's soundtrack, a non-anamorphic theatrical trailer, and various trailers for other Fox films.

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Preview

Editorial Reviews

The dynamic sibling duo of Bobby and Peter Farrelly use relative newcomer Jack Black to great effect in Shallow Hal, squeezing every comedic drop out of an oh-so-high concept. High Fidelity's Black plays Hal, a shallow if affable loser with an overactive libido who's hypnotized by self-help guru Tony Robbins to see only the inner beauty of everyone he meets. He soon falls head-over-heels for a 300-pound behemoth of a kindhearted altruist, who appears to him as svelte beauty Gwyneth Paltrow. The Farrellys explore every nook and cranny of their gimmick, delivering a host of sight gags and having their characters constantly talking at cross-purposes, as everyone else sees the true girth of Hal's furniture-crushing beloved. And it's precisely because they push their fantasy to the breaking point that the conceit is so tantalizing. The leads pull their weight admirably -- Black walking a fine line of boorish likablity and Paltrow sweetly oblivious to her own charm. Jason Alexander costars, playing true to his Seinfeld form as Hal's even shallower best friend. Don't expect the Farrellys' patented gross-out humor, though: Shallow Hal is a sentimental fantasy with wise-guy wit, reminding viewers that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. A familiar sentiment, indeed; but rarely does one ever see it delivered with such goofy, compassionate humor.

Barnes & Noble - Gregory Baird

Shallow Hal caused an immediate furor about its alleged characterization of fat people as the grotesque butts of sophomoric jokes. Of course, most of those complaining hadn't seen the source of their outrage. Peter and Bobby Farrelly's sixth film is about much more than the questionable sight gags that punctuate the trailer. For the first time in their scatological careers, the directors have made a film that actually provokes thought, delivering a message about social perception that's far more idealized than wicked, and not fixated on weight alone. There's natural discomfort in the fact that some punch lines revolve around seeing what Hal's beauties really look like, but the directors twist this brilliantly to help the audience reexamine its own ingrained shallowness. With the notable exception of cruelly exaggerating Rosemary's appetite, they rarely flog the joke, instead rendering the characters with painstaking dignity. The set-up also allows the actresses, from anonymous babes all the way up to a touchingly sweet Gwyneth Paltrow, a rare opportunity to demonstrate their ability to play characters with low self-esteem. Jack Black is perfect as Hal, a generally decent guy whose major flaw is shared by most of the audience -- that his cultural upbringing has taught him to judge the book by its cover. The "freaks" the brothers have always employed as part of their tasteless humor finally have thematic relevance, including characters with spina bifida and a vestigial tail. Shallow Hal may not move at the laugh-a-minute pace Farrelly fans expect, nor will it win any humanitarian awards. But the directors deserve credit for repudiating their usual hijinks in favor of ambitious, if somewhat naïve, social commentary, which just might open minds among viewers.

All Movie Guide

There are enough moments of demented comedy to make you aspirate your popcorn, but by the end you may find yourself, with some amazement, sniffing back tears.

New York Times - A.O. Scott

Often very funny, but it is also surprisingly moving at times.

Chicago Sun-Times - Roger Ebert

It gets away with fat jokes at the same time it seems to be on the side of the angels and inner beauty.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

okay so he only likes women who are thin and beautiful and the movie proves that beauty is on the inside its not how a person looks the movie is funny but then gets sorta sad all in all a funny movie

Guest

More than 1 year ago

This movie is so good and in a way educational, which can teach people not to look at people base on how they look. It is so great that everyone should watch it.

Guest

More than 1 year ago

this is an awesome movie. i recommend it to anyone who enjoys comedy and romance combined with a really great moral. Even though this movie is a little weird with the guy having a tail, its a great all around movie.

Guest

More than 1 year ago

I loved Shallow Hal. Jack Black is just crazy in this movie. Gwyneth Paltrow is awesome. This movie really was a smart and shows that people can still love people by their heart, not by their appearance.

Guest

More than 1 year ago

I love this movie! It is like my favorite I have seen It like 50 times! Great story!

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